


Connections

by spicywaffles



Category: TWICE (Band)
Genre: F/F, mentions anxiety
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-09-24
Updated: 2018-09-24
Packaged: 2019-07-16 14:43:53
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,224
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16088231
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/spicywaffles/pseuds/spicywaffles
Summary: After years apart, they meet again when a business opportunity presents itself.





	Connections

Momo didn’t know what she was supposed to be looking out for at the bus stop. Mina didn't use social media. She had not seen her face in years. And because she didn’t want to appear like she had been looking for her, even though she naturally would have been, Momo decided to scroll aimlessly on her phone and wait for a text instead. She slumped against the pole by the directory board and started watching one of Hana’s dance tutorials.

She had become occupied with memorising a few intricate details in the new routine she was learning, but from the corner of her eye she saw Bus 42 trundle reluctantly into the stop and a dozen or so people got off. No text came but she knew when Mina had arrived. That scent reached her from more than six feet away and it was unmistakable, painful. 

When she was a child, Momo used to have these anxiety episodes that felt like her mind had ejected itself from her body. Everything would feel foreign and she would be taken breathless at the thought of simple facts like “these two persons are my parents”, “I have hands”. These moments were times when she felt most intensely alone. And it was only right now with Mina six feet from her that she realised she had been feeling a watered-down version of that disorientation, constantly, for the past three years. Because like a switch, or a rebooting nap after a good cry, she’s suddenly breathing fine again and the blood in her body had re-learnt how to navigate her veins.

She looked away from her phone to the side and there was Mina walking toward her in an oversized plaid shirt, hair falling in neat waves, her face unsmiling but relaxed and kind. Her poise and demeanour was exactly as memory painted, but she had matured somewhat, the frame of her face more angular, tiny smile wrinkles had extended from the wings of her eyes.

“Hi.”

“Hey.” Momo had thought she would have to consciously remind herself not to sound abrasive because she tended to do that when her guard was up. But when she spoke, her voice was quite gentle.

“You can pick the place, then we’ll see how we can help each other.” 

“Are you hungry? I only need a coffee.”

“I actually haven’t eaten since yesterday but I can just grab a pie or something, a cafe is good.”

Momo was pleased that they both eased into speaking with the familiarity of old friends. There was a polite distance, but she probably would have been annoyed and rolled her eyes if Mina had offered her a handshake or a “good afternoon”. 

The lifestyle that Momo had adopted into adulthood didn’t involve much social interaction and her profession required a lot of premeditated speaking, so sometimes she forgot that in casual conversation, the real Momo usually vocalised whatever she was thinking. But she wanted to walk away from today feeling her natural self, so she tried.

“I’m satisfied with this greeting. If you said “good afternoon” and gave me a handshake, I would have smacked your hand.”

Mina’s lips lifted in a smile, “Why would I do that? Just because we’re meeting for work? We still chat once in awhile it would be strange for me to be formal with you.”

“I ran into an old high school friend recently while recceing a filming location for our advertisements. We used to snap each other’s bra straps as a prank in class. She called me ‘Miss Hirai’, I don’t know why I felt like puking.”

“Yes it’s sad, it’s always the most insufferable people from the past who act like long-lost friends and the closest ones who drift so far they’re essentially different people.”

“I feel people like me don’t do well with time. I don’t deal well with nostalgia, there’s not a shred of happy remembrance, just the idea that time has passed makes me feel terrible things,” Momo paused, then somehow managed to find the pluck to venture, “Do you think of the past?”

Mina gave something that sounded like a reverse-sigh, and said, “I guess people who think a lot generally do think about the past. So yeah, I do, but I try to avoid actually having to interact with people, either they aren’t worth the time now or it would just risk unpleasant memories. I just check in on people I care about from time to time.”

Momo pondered for a second. “You never really checked in on me.”

Mina didn’t hesitate even a second before turning to catch Momo’s almost flitting gaze, “I have.”

Deep in her gut, Momo felt a strange roiling. 

“I have, definitely, in my own way, but we’re both busy,” Mina shrugged, then added, “You’re exactly the same. Haven’t changed one bit.” Her words carried that endearing amusement Momo always had a soft spot for.

She thought about how everyone around her always said she had become very different. And it was true. The enigmatic passionate dancer was now a political campaign manager. While hard work used to mean hours of training in front of a mirror with no other concern but the precision in her movements, hard work now meant shrewdness, good organisation, a capacity for social awareness she never thought she could possess. She was in a place she never thought she would be. Yet every night, Momo went to bed with the same unsettling regrets, the same thirst for adventure. She was the same incurable disappointed romantic. Still, her closest family only saw that her life was on an entirely different trajectory, and so she must be entirely different as well.

But Mina still knew her. There is no other comfort quite like having someone know you enough that you do not need to explain yourself.

They were in the West on a weekday in an area with few schools, so Starbucks was comfortably empty with a handful of patrons. "You work around here?" Mina asked.

"I work everywhere, just happened to be in the area settling some stuff, and it was convenient for you too." Momo didn't mention that she picked that place after eliminating a bunch of other locations - locations too close to their old dance school, too close to Mina's house (where she possibly still lived), too close to her old house (where they lived together for a month), too close to that pizza place where they had their first date, too close to the vet they took an injured stray cat to.

"Hello what can I get for you?"

"Hi can I get a tall vanilla latte, a tall unicorn frappuccino with whipped cream, and a chicken pie."

She turned to sneak a smirk at Mina. "I could have ordered my own stuff," Mina half-rolled her eyes.

"I wanted to show off." 

"Yeah right take the change," Mina nudged Momo's arm toward the barista's outstretched hand by her elbow, the touch of her fingertips leaving a warm tingling on her skin.

As they walked towards collection, Mina continued, "I could have wanted the pumpkin spice latte, that also falls in the category of unnecessarily sweet drinks."

"It has coffee, you wouldn't like that."

"I usually get the caramel frappe."

"I remember, but not when there's unicorn frappe on the menu I don't think." Mina was smiling widely now and the way her lips curved against resistance made the back of Momo's neck feel hot.

When they finally sat down, Mina quickly jumped into the real excuse they had for meeting, "So you mentioned you wanted a campaign collaboration with our non-profit."

Momo swallowed her mouthful of caffeine and replied, "Yes, we've seen the good work your organisation has been doing with the homeless and providing low-income households with quality education for their children. In particular, we appreciate the aspect of personalised tutoring in your education programme, we like that it is different from existing efforts from... existing stakeholders... who only provide free token textbooks and a school ID with no tangible read-back on how much better the kids are learning."

"Essentially you want a charity campaign with a snide finger pointed at Ministry of Education yeah I get the drift."

"Well, more like, it is in line with our campaign promises for an education revamp with accountable value-added teaching."

"Many other non-profits have tutoring systems too."

"Like I said, not as successful, you caught our eye."

"Some others are quite as successful too, if you were looking."

"Well ok, maybe if I kept looking, but I found you, and I know you. Connections help with how convincing the story can be."

Mina raised an eyebrow, "Hm well, it's not a story for the kids."

Momo slowed down, "Sorry, yes, I am aware of and genuinely respect the good work that you do, we will be sensitive, we can ensure our publicity requirements are not too disruptive to lessons, and don't you think the exposure can be a motivating experience for the kids who are willing to participate? Besides you'll see more donations come in, on top of our financial backing. What we need to do is to work together to make sure the narrative is representative and fair."

Their negotiations continued and Mina eventually became more receptive. They discussed long into the afternoon, working out deadlines, follow-up meetings, filming requirements. It reminded Momo of dance school days when they were executive committee of the club and spent hours planning tournaments and performances. They were working with entirely different objectives this time, yet the dynamic was the same. Mina snidely, but constructively, criticising Momo's publicity material... and Momo being snidely, but constructively, criticised. 

Eventually Mina just asked for the current posters to be emailed to her and whipped out her laptop to sort out the designs. "I'm doing this as charity, also I just can't stand looking at that hideous font a minute longer." They lulled into focused silence as Momo returned to completing reports and replying sponsors. As she typed, she snuck glances at Mina across the table who was intently staring at her laptop, her upper lip pouting out involuntarily the way it did when she left her mouth just slightly agape, the tiniest crease sneaking in between her eyebrows.

"I can feel you staring."

"Does it bother you?"

"Not really. But do your work."

"I am," Momo said as she lifted her hands from her keyboard and propped her elbows up on the table so she could rest her chin in her palms. She continued to trace her eyes from Mina 's constellation of moles to the one slightly protruding upper lip. 

"Now it bothers me." Mina stated.

"Mm good. You have been bothering me."

Mina pursed her lips and didn't reply. She probably intended to look disapproving with that face but it was quite impossible to dial down the adorable with the way she drew in that upper lip such that her cheeks puffed out slightly. Momo laughed and then immediately felt a light kick by the side of her calf.

She laughed even harder. She was letting herself slip completely now, forgetting all of the painful reasons, all the inconvenient rationalities. This felt like home. And she had been lost for too long.

When they finally finished what they could sort out in a day, it was just past dusk, the sort of polluted darkness that made the interior of Starbucks glow in a yellower shade than was palatable. They packed to leave and as they waited for their respective buses on the bus stop bench, Mina fiddled with her phone and pretended to ignore the increasing restlessness beside her.

"24th right, next meeting on the 24th?"

"Mmhm, as mentioned previously."

"Why do you reply me like you're replying emails?"

"Um... yes I'll see you again on the 24th?"

Momo turned away, glaring into the night. Mina sighed and looked fully away from her phone at the child for a second.

"You can send me a Google Invite if it pleases you," she teased.

Mina sighed again and was about to look back down at her phone when, swift as the wind, Momo swung her head around, leaned towards her and gave her a hard peck on her right cheek. It lasted less than a second before Momo had withdrawn fully and was sitting straight as a stick again, staring squarely forward.

Mina stared with wide eyes now, then said, "You are such an open book. And yet so unpredictable."

Then she reached out and held Momo's jaw with three fingers, gently turning her head towards her. Her eyes lingered on Momo's lips for just a flitting second before she made up her mind and landed a kiss safely on Momo's cheek, leaving her lips on her skin for just a bit longer than Momo had.

Mina patted Momo on the top of her head as she got up, "You are doing good, just be well. We'll both be okay." Then she turned to wave down the incoming bus, got on, stumbled to a seat and didn't look back. Momo's skin was burning all over but the gash in her chest was throbbing again. She knew Mina well, not as well as Mina knew her, but she knew not to expect her to ever look back.


End file.
